-Yet, O tempora! O mores! this nobleman has long been suffering under all the privations of galling penu

ry.

Mr Accum stated to the House of Lords, on the subject of the Gas Light Bill, that from reiterated experiments he found that a hundred weight of Newcastle coals produces from two hundred and fifty to three hundred cubic feet of gas; and with regard to the light that is obtained from the combustion of this quantity of gas, nineteen cubic feet of the gas is equal to a pound of tallow candles. A hundred pounds of coal produce also from four to five pounds of tar upon an average; and a chaldron of coals produces sixty pounds of pitch, and thirty-two pounds of essential oil. The quantity of asphaltum from one chaldron of coals is from twenty-eight to thirty-two pounds, and of ammoniacal liquor one hundred and eighty pounds.

It is determined by observation, that the mean annual quantity of rain is greatest at the equator, and decreases gradually as we approach the poles. Thus at

Granada 12o N. lat. 126 inches.

Cape François 19o 46

120

22 23

81

it.

the first time about thirty-two minutes. During the immersion he sent up twoswans, and made frequent signals to shew that he was safe. It appeared however on his reascending that he must have experienced considerable uneasiness, as his pulse was at 164. On his second attempt he remained twenty-four minutes under water, and traversed three fourths of the space between the Pont Royal and the bridge of Louis XVI. It is supposed that he supported respiration by some new mode of disengaging oxygen gas in the diving bell.

On the Inexhaustibility of the British

Coal Mines.

From Thomson's Journal for December.

To form an idea, says Dr Thomson, of the quantity of coal contained in the Newcastle coal formation alone, let us suppose it to extend in length from north to south 23 miles, and that its average breadth is eight miles. This makes a surface amounting to rather more than 180 square miles, or 557,568,000 square yards. The utmost thicknes of all the beds of coal put together does not exceed 44 feet; but there are 11 beds not workable, the thickness of each amounting only to a few inches. If they be deducted, the amount of the rest will be 36 feet, or 12 yards. Perhaps five of the other beds likewise should be struck off, as they amount altogether only to 6 feet, and therefore at present are not considered as worth working; the remainder will be 10 yards: so that the whole coal in this formation amounts to 5,575,680,000, cubic yards. much of this is already removed by mining I do not know; but the Newcastle colleries have been wrought for so many years to an enormous extent, that the quantity already mined mus be considerable. I conceive the quantity of coals exported yearly from this formation exceeds two millions of chaldrons: for the county of Durham alone exports one one-third million.

How

A

A chaldron weighs 1.4 tons, so that 2.8 millions of tons of coal are annuaily raised in these counties out of this formation. Now a ton of coal is very near one cubic yard; so that the yearly loss from mining amounts to 2.8 millions, or (adding a third for waste) to 3.7 millions of yards. According to this statement, the Newcastle coals may be mined to the present extent for 1500 years before they be exhausted. But from this number we must deduct the amount of the years during which they have been already wrought. We need not be afraid, then, of any sudden injury to Great Britain from the exhaustion of the coal-mines. It is necessary to keep in mind likewise, that I have taken the greatest thickness of the coal beds. Now, as this thickness is far from uniform, a considerable deduction (I should conceive one-third of the whole) must be made in order to obtain the medium thickness; so that we may state, in round numbers, that this formation, at the present rate of waste, will supply coal for 1000 years; but its price will be continually on the increase, on account of the continually increasing expence of mining.

M Marcel de Serres, who has written a history of the Fall of Stones from the clouds, printed in the late numbers of the Philosophical Magazine, concludes with the following observations, exactly according with those in our last number: "The causes of these phenomena, in appearance so remote, have nevertheless some approximation: thus rain is nothing but the precipitation of the water which is continually rising into the air; and aerolites probably only depend on the precipitation of an infinity of substances which are incessantly evaporating, and the reaction of which upon each other may form new combinations. This hypothesis will not appear gratuitous, if we pay attention to the immense quantity of

compound substances which organic bodies, stagnant waters, and all bodies while under decomposition, exhale without ceasing, and which are lost in the air without our knowing any thing as to what they become. It is therefore fair to inquire what are the methods resorted to by nature to counterbalance this perpetual evaporation, and to purify the atmosphere from all those volatilized substances? In fact, it is probable that nature employs other methods of purifying the air, though probably the organic bodies are the most powerful to which she resorts. Such are the principal proofs, or rather the most constant facts, which render probable the hypothesis of aerolites being formed in our atmosphere."

Coloured snow, and a coloured hoar frost, took place at Arezzo, March 1813. " Pliny and Livy have mentioned showers of burnt bricks, and much ridicule has been thrown upon them for it. During the evening, the ground being almost entirely covered with snow, there fell some snow or rather hail, not very compact, of a reddish-yellow colour, which the people improperly called red. Lightning was visible during the night: the north wind blew with considerable force at intervals, and a dull uniform noise was heard in the atmosphere, similar to to what is produced at a great distance from the sea by a tempest. The sky seemed to threaten snow, and some persons thought it was variegated with reddish-yellow clouds. It resulted, from various observations: -1. That this snow or hail derived its colour from a very fine earthy substance, interposed with uniformity between the small crystals of the hail, without however being inclosed in their nucleus.-2. That this substance is composed almost entirely of alumine, very little corbonated lime, and a still less quantity of iron, manganese, and silex; finally, of a very feeble animal or vegetable principle, cap

Foreign ditto,...............75 Raw sugar, of the French colonies, imported in French ships,.............40 Foreign ditto,.................60 Clayed sugar, of the French

colonies, imported in French ships,.............70 Foreign ditto,...............95 R fined Sugars Prohibited. Cocoa, of the French colonies, .........90 Foreign ditto, ...............95 Chocolate,..................150 Tea, of every sort, per killogramme.................... Pepper,.............. Ditto, imported in foreign bottoms....................85 Cloves, per metrical quintal,.. 2 francs. Imported in foreign bottoms,.3 Cinnamon,... .......4 In foreign bottoms, ..........6 Bark of every kind...........3

......80 cents.

The committee did not accede to the request of reducing the duties on raw sugars from the French Antilles, even though their quality might be inferior. The prohibition of refined sugar was advised on the ground, that it was necessary to give every

encouragement to home manufactures. The duty of 120 francs per quintal, proposed by the projet of the law, appeared to the committee to be insufficient.

Portuguese Decree.

By order of the royal council of commerce, the following edict, bearing upon our commerce to all nations is made known:

"Most Excellent and most Rever

end Sir-The hostility between the belligerent powers having been happily concluded by divine grace, un

der the most fortunate circumstances to the allied forces armed against France, and being enabled by the restoration of tranquillity to renew our ancient relations, which had been terminated by the calamities of war, his Royal Highness has been pleased to order that the ports of these kingdoms should in future be open to cargoes from France, and from every other power, which was under its authority, dominion, or influence, and which may not be considered the enemy of Portugal, as heretofore: it being determined that such cargoes shall be received as those of friendly states, and that such facilities shall be afforded to the conductors and agents as have been hitherto granted to nations in profound peace with this government. And, reciprocally, the Portuguese vessels are permitted without breach of law, to convey their ships into the harbours of the said nations. I communicate the above to your Excellency, that you may acquaint the government therewith, and that you may cause it to be published in all the ports of these kingdoms.

"A DE A AZEVEDO. "J. A. DAS NEVES.

"Palace of Rio Janeiro, &c. "To the Patriarch of Lisbon, "Lisbon, October 11, 1814."

The following document extends the free trade which had been granted to the European ports of Portugal, to all the harbours of the empire :Royal Royal edict." The vigorous and unanimous efforts of the allied powers have happily been attended, under the favour of divine providence, with the most glorious and extraordinary successes, which were followed by the cessation of hostilities with France. Being desirous that my faithful vassals may, in consequence, enjoy, as soon as possible, the great benefit and advantage of a free communication with all nations, I have been pleased to order, that the ports of my states, from the date of this my royal decree, shall admit the entry of the ships of all nations that may be presented before them, and the departure of the same, whatever destination they may have received, that as much as possible the friendly relations and reciprocal interests with their respective countries may be re-established. It is commanded that this edict be published and placarded in the usual manner, by the poper authorities.

" Rio Janeiro, &c. With the rubric of the Prince Regent, our sovereign."

Liberty. Equality.-Decree. Alexander Petion, president of

Hayti, considering that the trade with Great Britain has been very advantageous to the republic, and has even aided it in the most critical circumstances in which it has been placed, and wishing to encourage the same more and more, has decreed, and does decree as follows

Art. 1. Reckoning from the 1st of January 1815, merchandize manufactured in countries under the dominion of his Britannic Majesty shall be subjected to a duty of only 5 per cent. according to the tariff of the 22d of May 1810, upon their import into the country.

2. All merchandize, other than the above described, shall continue, as before, to pay an import duty of 10 per cent, according to the same tariff.

It is said that the exports from this country to St Domingo, in the course of the last twelve months, amounted to no less than £.1,200,000; and these must be greatly increased in consequence of the decree in question. We may consider this extraordinary commercial advantage as one of the happy consequences of our act for the abolition of the slave trade.

Years.

Imports.

Ехр. Еxc.

18002,089,652

1801.........2,706,518

1802.........1,923,504

1805.........1,766,556

1806.........1,999,884

1807.........2,847,522

1809.........2,205,331

Antwerp, Dec. 21. -The alteration of the tariff duties on importation for home consumption in this country, with which we have so long been threatened, has at length been published and put into force; it is dated the 5th inst. issued by orders of the Prince of Orange Nassau, and has cordially in view the protection of the manufactures of this country. The duties are to be most imperiously enforced, and if the goods reported are undervalued, or not found agreeable to the return of the importer or agent, the same are confiscated, and a fine beside levied on the offender.The vessels as they arrive are to be unloaded in rotation of their arrival, and at given hours in the day: and every measure has been adopted to give efficacy to the regulations which must become a most important branch to the revenues. The following are the most important items of duties to be levied on goods reported for consumption in this country, and it is to be understood, that, as heretofore, all goods may be bonded, or lodged in entrepot, and sold for re-exportation duty free, except a small sum not exceeding one-half per cent, on the value of produce, nor has the duty on goods which are to pass through this country in transit undergone any

SONG

change, the payment of one per cent. on the value remains as heretofore, and all description of merchandize may pass through Belgium and Flanders to the neighbouring states:-

Cotton-twist of all descriptions is prohibited altogether for entry or consumption or use in Belgium. White cotton goods, at or under the value of 1 frank per Brabant ell, and printed cotton goods, at or under the value of 2 franks per Brabant ell, are prohibited; whatever is above that value pays 10 per cent. Woollen goods, as cloths and coatings, pay as follows, per Brabant ell:-At or under 4 franks to 6 franks, 12 per cent.; 6 franks to 9 franks, 7 per cent.; above 6 franks, 4 per cent. Refined as well as crushed sugars, which used to pay 8 per cent. have been raised to 20 franks per cent. Earthen ware 20 per cent.; drugs 3 per cent.; spices 4; cutlery 12; rum and arrack 7 franks per 100 libres (about 20 gallons,) besides the very heavy rum duty, which altogether is nearly 60 franks for the same quantity; tinplates 6 per cent. Coffee has been reduced to 1 frank per cwt.; and raw articles, such as cottons, dye-wood, raw sugars, &c. are admitted free of duty, on the payment of 1 per cent.

Still thy silent secret power

Sweeps the fiend away.

What is life without thy light?
Cheerless gloom and sullen night!

Fancy never takes her flight,

Never dreams of day.

Then thy wand, Enchantress, wave;
Give, O give, the boon we crave-
May we live beyond the grave
Dear to memory.

Unextinguish'd spark of sky,
Spirit that can never die,
Hear, O hear, thy childrens' cry-

Sacred Poesy.

PRO